


Fascinating New Thing

by Loptyrs



Series: Long Nights and Real Talks [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: College AU, F/M, I try to be funny, More characters to be added, Pining, Slow Burn, bc im caminoka trash and i ship hinoka w camilla so much fight me, denny's au, othet tags to be added later idk, sex comes later idk rip, side caminoka, side hinocami, side tsubaki/corrin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2018-07-27 14:42:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7622626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loptyrs/pseuds/Loptyrs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Corrin works dead night shifts at the local diner, and she is routinely visited by the young man who works at the adult shop, Niles. And throughout, he gets on her nerves, but gets her to venture out, and enjoy life. </p><p>For better effect a playlist to go with it:<br/>https://open.spotify.com/user/kimjihyuuns/playlist/6xDbmgNw1xiWr3zIhv9NTO?si=WMsXAfZETsGjJmBTccpxGg</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just take the ride home

**Author's Note:**

> I have been working on this for three days.
> 
> This au was made possible with Mothalline.
> 
> For my mother figures, Kay and Lilli.

It was a typical Wednesday night. People were cozy in their homes, eating dinner with their families. Some were even heading home from the long day that had just passed them by. The crisp night air would make anyone shiver if they carelessly forgot a jacket. But as the night drifted on, a whole new crowd had emerged. And they always flocked to the dinky 24-hour diner just three blocks away from the Vallitian University.

Corrin’s eyes were growing heavy. The clock read 3:25 in the morning. Garnet eyes were slowly drifting closed until she felt herself falling again. This was the third time she had almost fallen asleep while still working. She hated these graveyard shifts but these were the only ones that didn’t collide with her school schedule.  
The people struck her more odd than usual tonight. One young man, possibly stoned out of his right mind, asked her for exactly four ice cubes in his coffee. Why in his coffee, Corrin didn’t even bother to ask.  
She’s had weirder requests, such as an entire breakfast sampler all on different plates, each with a sprig of parsley on each plate.

But it wasn’t the requests. It was the patrons.  
One person seemed as if they weren’t completely all there, as if they were stuck in some sort of inescapable daze. They didn’t even acknowledge her when she tried to take their order, instead the rest of the group that came in with them ordered a plate of french fries.  
  
The same man with strange hair always came in and slept in his booth after buying a strawberry milkshake and he probably wouldn’t leave until the morning crowd came in.  
The staff did nothing to usher him out of his sticky booth.

The smell of grease clogged Corrin’s senses. She had a little over half an hour until her shift was over. Soon she would be curled up in her warm bed, avoiding the late September chill.

The little bell tinkled as a new guest walked through the door.  
A smirk drew over his face, and Corrin rolled her eyes.

“Hey there, princess. It’s a little past your bedtime, isn’t it?” Niles’ grin made Corrin want to smack it right off.  
“Just take a seat. I’m not in the mood tonight, Niles.”

Her tone was icy. Niles has been her best friend’s long time friend ever since she could remember. But all the memories Corrin had of the ever lewd young man were all ones of him teasing her with absolutely no mercy. He was born without a filter, and his innuendos were enough to make her scream internally.

That is until Leo told him he would have his head unless he stopped making Corrin whine.

But Leo wasn’t here. It was 3:30 in the morning and Leo was at home, probably asleep like a sane human being.  
Niles had been coming to the tiny diner ever since he found that Corrin was burning her fuel here instead of studying for upcoming exams for her classes.

  
“Ooh, that bad girl vibe is kinda enticing, Corrin. Please keep using it for me~” Niles singsonged. Corrin felt bile rise in her throat. Him calling her a “bad girl” and “enticing” in the same sentence was the last thing she ever wanted to hear while working covered in sugar and smelling like rubbery bacon.

“Just sit down and shut up,” Corrin hissed in a volume they could only hear.

A cheaply laminated menu smacked the bar of the diner.  
Niles made a pouty face at the tired waitress. It wasn't becoming of an almost twenty five year old man who was skidding by in his university classes.  
He was a smart man, yes, but he found it to be quite tedious to be in some classes studying things he didn't care about.

“How rude. Do you talk to all your customers like this, love?”  
Corrin’s eyes narrowed into needles and pierced him. The coffee pot in her hand was being squeezed mercilessly in her vice grip. If she weren’t careful, glass would shatter all over and coffee would be spilled all over the already sticky counter.

“No. Just you.”

Niles closed his eyes, pretending he was overcome with a massive aching pain in his chest. His free hand grasped the counter’s edge. “Love, you wound me with your cruel, cruel words.”  
Rolling her eyes, Corrin set the coffee pot back at the coffee station and pulled a little memo book and a pen.  
She didn’t even ask, just raised her eyebrow at him, challenging him to his own game.  
When Niles first started to show up from his night shift from the “One Desire” erotic shop, Corrin didn’t know what to do to get him to shut his stupid, perverted mouth.

  
But after three months of enduring his little games, she learned the rules.  
“Pancake bites and a Coke, love,” Niles crooned.  
What a disgusting combination.  
Perfect for such a disgusting young man.

The diner filled with the sickly sweet smell of pancake batter and sugar. Another pot of bitter coffee was brewing. The cook yawned as he threw some bacon on the griddle and another serving of fries into the deep frier. A loud sizzle echoed.  
There was some sort of comfort that came in the seemingly empty diner. Soft music added as some sort of background noise that silenced the quiet between the patrons and the employees.

A plate made its way in front of the young man with snow white hair. Tiny little deep fried, doughy balls were piled in the bowl, alongside something that looked like frosting. Warm syrup was in a little cup for him to pour ever so generously over his “pancake bites”.

“There.” Corrin looked up at the clock. Only ten, measly minutes had passed her by. Twenty more to go, as if they could go by any slower.

“Thank you, doll.” Niles gave her a sly smile before eating the dense bites with giant globs of the weird frosting the cook insisted on serving with that dish. Too sweet. Even for Corrin’s tastes.  
Niles gave Corrin a look before raising his eyebrow at her, licking the frosting right off of his finger, hollowing his cheeks, pulling his lips off with a loud, obscene pop.

  
She flushed red and turned away from him to close out her checks. Corrin could hear him chuckling at her reaction to his lewd behaviors.

Niles continued to eat without giving Corrin another mini heart attack and before she even knew it, it was 3:45. Corrin never clocked off so fast in her entire life.  
Grabbing Ryouma’s oversized gray jacket and her small purse, Corrin left the diner, transferring Niles’ check under Felisha’s name.

The late September cold made Corrin shiver as her skin made contact with the crisp air. It would take her an hour to walk all the way home.  
Corrin was thankful that Hinoka gave her pepper spray in case some weirdos thought they even thought they had a fighting chance at getting with Corrin when she wasn’t suspecting it.

  
“You know, Miss Corrin, it’s dangerous to walk home at night.”  
Her pepper spray was ready.  
Turning towards the street, Corrin saw a familiar face, a familiar smirk.  
Niles had been following her from work.

“God, do you have anything better to do than harass me, Niles? I just want to go home,” she whined.  
Niles shook his head.

  
“This isn’t harassment. This is me offering you a ride home and a shelter from the cold, love. Sweet girls such as yourself shouldn’t walk home alone. It’s dangerous.” His smile was sickeningly sweet. Sweeter than normal. Was it the frosting or the pancake bits? Corrin didn’t want to dwell on it. She wanted to be left alone and be in her warm bed already.

“Go away. I don’t want your help.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself, love. I’ll be here if you need me.”

This continued for weeks. After every graveyard shift Corrin had, she felt as if someone were watching her from the shadows. She wasn’t entirely wrong.  
Niles kept well on his promise and was there for her if she needed him in any way.  
Seeing her walk home all alone, donning simple pepper spray troubled him. It seemed like a perfect concoction for a whole new missing persons case if she were left completely alone in the dark.  
Niles wouldn’t leave her alone. He followed her with his car, making sure she arrived home safely.

* * *

The night of October fifth was a colder night than usual.  
The heater was on for not only the guests, but for the workers. Corrin wore her big sweater while working, pinning her sticky name tag on her clothes.  
It kept her warm.

She didn't have a dead hours shift like she normally had.  
The clock read 11:49. The torture would end when it struck 1:30 am.  
Corrin was just about ready to fall asleep at the hostess stand until she heard a familiar, deep chuckle.

Niles stood before her in a large gray jacket. Some sort of fluffy material was seen on the inside for extra warmth.  
“Do you ever go home?”

“I could ask you the same thing, Princess.”  
His smile was warm, but it seemed...almost genuine.  
Niles was a handsome man but his personality ruined the good looks he had bestowed upon him.

“Doesn't seem like it. Have a seat.” Corrin gestured him to his spot. His spot was at the diner bar, across from the POS system, where he liked to tease Corrin easily.

He cozied up in the old chair and grinned at her. She was especially cute tonight. Her makeup was cute, flawless wings, her hair up in a messy ponytail. Her hair seemed to fall effortlessly over her shoulders. The big sweater seemed to swallow her tiny arms up. Despite it all, she wasn't bright eyed not bushytailed like her companion, Kaden. who worked with the other customers.

“Same thing?” Her voice rang out like a bell.  
“Same thing. But instead of my soda, a coffee. Black.”

The beeping of the computer brought him some strange sense of solace. She was listening.  
“No cream or sugar?” A standard server question. Habit, Niles would have guessed.

“No thank you, love.”

The time had ticked away slowly, but it was some sort of comfort that Corrin felt in those forty five minutes. Niles hadn't harassed her. He hadn't been up to his normal schemes.  
The coffee brewed and the dark aroma filled his senses. It smelled like home.

“Here. Black coffee.” Niles had taken notice how much her long eyelashes framed her ruby red eyes eyes.  
Soft brown bangs fell in front of her eyes and it created some sort of mystique about her.  
Corrin was too pretty for her own good. And it was then and there he decided to give her an offer she would most likely refuse.

“Let me take you home.”  
Corrin had stopped pouring his coffee. Her grip tightened again on the handle.

“Excuse me?” Her tone became cold again.

“Let me take you home. It's cold out, and you walking alone with just pepper spray is a little...disconcerting,” Niles said.  
It was hard to not sound seductive. Force of habit.

“No, Niles. I don't want you to.”

He frowned.  
“Corrin I'm being serious. You worry me when you walk alone at night. What if something happened to you?” His voice lowered dangerously.

“I can defend myself,” Corrin whispered. She didn't want to be caught arguing with the likes of him. Kaden was already staring.

“Corrin. Let me just drive you home this once. If you don't like it, I won't offer again.”  
He almost seemed to plead with her. Niles didn't want her to be alone. Too cold, too isolated.  
“Please?”

She put the coffee pot back at the proper station and pulled at her sweater sleeves.  
As much as Corrin hated to admit it, Niles was right. It was cold, and downright freaky that she walked home nearly every night at ungodly hours of the night.  
Hearing him sound so serious and asking her please was too strange.

“Fine.”


	2. Just Put the Number in Your Phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He takes her home and she has snark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAA I finally updated I'm so sorry for leaving this hanging. It's almost five am right now lmao
> 
> My Tumblr: moody-akira.tumblr.com

As soon as the clock struck 1:30, Corrin’s fingers were dancing over the POS screen, inputting her clock-in number and logging her out. Her messy brown hair was still clipped up. Her small black bag was thrown over her shoulder.  
And Niles was waiting for her at the door, patiently. As she looked up at him, she swore she could see a little smile on his face. Not one of his cocky and perverted smiles he had to tease her with.

  
It was one that was hopeful. Genuinely happy.  
“Come on now, princess. Let’s get you home.” Red flushed to Corrin’s cheeks. The entire restaurant was staring at them. No this was the last bit of attention she could possibly even want.

She pulled the oversized sweater up almost to cover her apple tinted cheeks. Soft crimson eyes couldn’t met his piercing gaze. The moment was lasting too long. Corrin pushed the swinging doors open, making a chime echo through the silent restaurant.

  
It was so much colder than she expected. An icy breeze blew through her. The cold bit at her exposed ankles. Corrin instinctively shoved her hands in her pockets, trying to warm them. She let out the breath she was holding, releasing a breath of warm air she could see. It seemed she was blowing smoke herself.  
There was no way she could handle walking almost an hour home in this sort of cold.

  
“I'm over here,” Niles said clearly. His voice drew her back to reality.  
He stood by an old car. It was gray with a black interior.  
It seemed almost as old as her. “Hop in, I have seat warmers.”

  
Corrin felt herself sigh in relief.  
“That's the best thing that you've said all night.”

  
The door handle was freezing. The metal bit at her, making her swing the door open far for forcefully than she intended.  
And as the doors shut, Corrin examined her surroundings. Her nose scrunched up.  
The ashtray was filled with cigarette butts and change. Mostly pennies. A dark blue lighter sat in a cup holder.  
She should have known he smoked like a chimney.

  
“Gross.”

  
He turned to her, starting the ignition and heater.  
“What is?”

  
“I had a feeling you smoked but not _this_ much.”

  
Niles frowned. He shrugged as he began to back out of his parking space. “We all have our vices. Mine happens to be smoking and a couple drinks here and there. An occasional person to come and warm my bed at night.”

  
“Oh my god, stop. You're so gross stop,” Corrin whined. She began to squirm in her seat, pretending to have a tantrum.

  
She heard him chuckle. Corrin looked over at Niles. His face was lit up by streetlights. One hand was on the steering wheel. His eyes were focused on the road, heading in the direction of her house.  
It was a ten minute drive but she never specified where she lived.

  
“Wait. Niles how do you know where I—”  
“I followed you home when you didn't want to take me up on my offer.”

  
Of course he did.  
“Gross.” Corrin felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. She should have known he would have been a creep regardless of what she told him.  
She crossed her arms.

  
“Hey, I worry about you, Corrin. I don't want you to get hurt.”  
The car was stopped at a red light. Corrin looked at the man beside her. His sapphire blue eye bored into her own.  
He studied her. Their eyes locked. The only thing that could be heard was his stereo playing old Led Zepplin songs. Not a word was said until their faces were illuminated by the green signal light.

  
He made the right turn and headed towards a little community with yellow houses.  
It was a quiet neighborhood. Marigolds lined up the side of the sidewalk.  
Everything had a yellowish look to it since the only light were the street lamps.  
Corrin gazed upon her neighbor’s lawns, admiring the flowers lit up by the dim lights.

  
Niles kept his mouth shut. He memorized the street names in this community. He had followed her for about a month. He could remember her pulling at her big jacket she usually wore, shivering. It took an hour for her to walk home. And an hour he spent, making sure no one else was following her in the dead of night.

  
Niles glanced over at Corrin. She curled up into her seat, eyes growing heavy. It was a long day for them both.  
The car stopped in front of the house with the porch light on. It was a nice house. A large sakura tree was planted on the side and a koi pond was carefully tended to and cared for beside the tree.

  
“This one, right?”

  
Corrin looked to her right. That was it. Takumi had to be still up.  
“Yeah. That's my house.”  
She unbuckled her seatbelt and sat for a moment, relishing the heat before she had to face the bitter cold.

  
“Thank you, Niles,” she said quietly. “That was kind of you.”

  
Niles smiled. “Anytime, love. Let me know if you need another one.”

  
Corrin scoffed. “You're always bugging me at the diner so I know you'll know.”

  
The door opened and a cold washed over her. She shivered. Her white teeth chattered.  
“Here, let me walk you to your door.” Niles began to undo his seatbelt before she got out of the car and began to walk.

  
“It's okay, you don't have to. I should be going…” her voice trailed off, looking down at her shoes.  
Niles stayed put.

  
“You have my number, just in case right?”

  
“No but I'll ask Leo tomorrow at school for it,” Corrin yawned.

  
A moment of awkward silence wedged between the two. He sat looking up at her, her soft brown tresses framing her gentle pretty face. Ruby red eyes were half lidded from sleepiness.

  
“Goodnight, Niles.”

  
He smiled. “Sweet dreams, princess.”

  
As Corrin shut the door behind her, her cheeks flushed.  
Those pet names he gave her were so embarrassing.  
Corrin was sure Niles was trying to mess with her and toy with her.

  
She dragged her sore feet into the kitchen to see her step brother, Takumi sitting at the island with a cup of hot tea in his hand.  
His nightmares kept him up again.

  
“You're home earlier normal,” Takumi said. He was tired and his voice showed it. “Didn't you get off at 1:30?”

  
“Yeah but a friend gave me a ride home,” Corrin replied, opening the fridge to get a glass of iced tea. The whole ordeal with Niles left her throat dry.

  
Takumi narrowed his eyes. “What friend?”  
Corrin bit her lip. He would throw a hissy fit if he knew some guy who had a known history of being a disgusting, perverted man helped her home that night.

  
“Niles.”

  
Takumi set his cup of tea down and glared daggers into Corrin. The look on his face screamed disapproval.  
“You know if Ryouma knew, he would pick you up himself,” Takumi chastised. “He would be so mad if he found out.”

  
Corrin poured her tea into a small glass. Without even looking at him, she responded, “It was just a one time thing. It was freezing, Takumi.”

  
The temperature outside said 53 degrees outside. Not to mention the wind chill that went along with it made it even colder.

  
Takumi frowned. “Still. I don't trust him. No one does.”

  
“He didn't do anything weird. He knows I'd smack him if he tried,” Corrin said, walking towards the stairs and up.

  
She turned to see her little brother pouting. “You should really try going back to sleep. Aromatherapy might help with the nightmares.”

  
“In a bit,” Takumi replied. He sipped his tea and sat in his stool.

* * *

Corrin barely slept that night. The shift from the night before drained her and she barely got her homework done. Today was her day off from work so she could catch up on some assignments she had neglected to do.

  
Her ‘History of Ancient Valla’ class seemed to go on longer than normal. Much to her dismay, she dozed off during the lecture. Kaze managed to give her the notes she missed.

  
Her classes ended in the middle of the day so she could usually prep for work.  
Ryouma was supposed to pick her up from school but was caught up at their father’s business firm.

  
Corrin waited for him in the library. It was vast, with books lining the walls. Some students had to go up on ladders to get even the most common books in the library. And Corrin was one of them.

  
Leo had most of the copies of the books that the library had on hand.  
The Nohrian family had funded the library for generations and Leo desired to continue that tradition.

  
His studies came first before anything else. And that day, he had promised to help Corrin with one of her essays. It was a history essay and he offered to look over it for mistakes in facts or to edit an awkward sentence or five.

  
“Oh yeah, Leo, I was wondering if you could give me Niles’ number,” Corrin asked without looking up from her foreign language homework.

  
She stopped hearing Leo’s deft fingers typing on the computer. Corrin met brown eyes that narrowed at her.  
“Why?” A valid question. Why indeed?

  
“He gave me a ride home from work the other night and he said he’d help me out if I called.”

  
Leo rolled his eyes and continued to type. “I don't recommend to waste your time with him, Corrin. He teases you and he's lewd.” His words were blunt and harsh, but not untrue.

  
“Okay yeah I know, he's gross. But it's getting cold and he offered and I don't want to be rude. He wasn't _that_ bad the other night.”

  
“Hey, I’m just giving my two cents on it. But sure, just look for it in my phone,” Leo replied, cracking his knuckles.

* * *

Her phone read 4:25. Ryouma was supposed to be at the school almost two and a half hours ago. What was holding him up?

  
_Hey I'm still waiting at school. When are u coming?_

  
**Not yet, Corrin. Father still has me holed up in meetings. I won't be there until late. I'm sorry. Do you have a friend that could take you home?**

  
“Well fuck,” Corrin swore.  
Just what she needed.

  
The sun was beginning to set and the cold was beginning to settle. The weather said there was going to be a chance of showers around five, and Corrin didn't bring an umbrella or a jacket to shelter out the rain.

  
She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. A look of pure irritation was written across her pretty face.  
She unlocked her phone and her thumb hesitated over the contact she had freshly put in her phone.

  
Might as well. How else would she get home?

  
One ring. Two rings. Three.  
“Hello?”

  
“Hey Niles it's Corrin,” she groaned out.

  
“Well hello, princess? And what have I done to deserve to hear you today?”

  
“Oh shut up. I just need a ride home and–”

  
_Plip. Plip plip._

  
“–fuck.”

  
Niles tisked over the receiver. “It's not very becoming of someone to swear.”

  
“It's raining, jerk, and I have no umbrella. Could I catch a ride? Please?”  
Thunder began to rumble. Corrin ran under one of the awnings of the school to escape the rain.

  
“Where are you exactly?”

 


	3. No Returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niles plays a new game with her and she doesn't know how to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trust me this will get better, just bear with me.

It took about twenty minutes for Niles to drive from his apartment to where Corrin stood. By the time he pulled up, Corrin’s chocolate brown hair was a mess. The tips were wet and the wind had restyled it. 

Her arms were crossed and she was pouting. 

Big time. 

 

Her arms were crossed and her bottom lip stuck out slightly, like a child becoming extremely impatient. 

Her bag was full of books wrapped in plastic to endure the storm brewing.

He chuckled. 

 

He honked his horn, startling her. Corrin’s bright eyes darted in his direction and her brows furrowed. 

Oh he was never going to hear the end of it. She was going to have a fit. 

 

And Niles was going to savor every bit of it.

 

Her boots clicked against the concrete and she nearly broke out into a run once she was out from under her shelter. 

 

The heavy car door slammed behind her and she was shivering. 

Corrin gave Niles the dirtiest look when he began to laugh at her. 

“N-not a g-goddamn word,” Corrin hissed, her teeth chattering. 

 

He held up his hands in surrender. “I simply was going to ask if you wanted the heat on.”

 

“Of c-course! P-please I’m fr-freezing!” 

Big garnet eyes were pleading with him. She even said please. 

She was too cute to deny. How could he say no to such a cute face?

 

“As you wish, princess,” Niles said in a low voice, closing the distance between them as he turned on the heat, warming the car. 

Corrin’s face flushed crimson. He was too close. 

_ Way too close. _

 

She could see every detail in his face. Soft white hair fell over his eyes, strategically covering one of his entrancing eyes. 

A giant scar went over it. Corrin never asked what happened or how he got it, but it was always there. One eye glimmered, even in this stormy weather. Niles always had this mischievous glint in his eye, one that she seemed to never escape. She would be pulled into a sea of blue so unwillingly. 

Niles was a handsome young man, yes. Very handsome, until he opened his mouth.

 

“You're too close, ” she blurted out.

The air was thick. The windows began to fog up. Her heart began to pound out of her chest. She could hear it beat like the drums of war in her ears.  

 

Niles’ mouth curled into a smile. He began to soften before pulling away from her. 

“My apologies, Corrin,” he crooned, moving out of her personal space. 

 

She began to breathe again. Her heart began to slow down and keep a regular pace. 

But she could still feel his presence become overwhelming. 

He started up the car and began to drive. 

 

Corrin fidgeted with the hems of her sleeves the entire trip. She was still wet from the rain. 

Pink Floyd was the only thing she could hear besides the droplets of rain hitting the car’s windshield and roof. 

 

Niles could catch little glimpses of Corrin in the corner of his eye. Her cheeks were still cherry red. Her hair was still a mess from the wind and rain. 

Her lips were still red from biting them earlier out of a nervous habit. 

She was too cute for her own good.

The ride was silent. 

Her bag was sitting right beside her, open slightly, pens and pencils sticking out. 

 

And Corrin was curled up in her seat, watching the rain roll over the windows.

She was mesmerised by the droplets forming bigger ones or separating into smaller ones on the glass. 

 

Before she knew it, the car stopped in front of her house. 

“Right house, love?”

 

Corrin snorted. “You should know since you followed me home for gods know how long.”

Niles smirked at her. 

“Hey it was for your own good.”

 

Corrin had her hand on the handle. She looked back at him. That classic shiteating grin was plastered over his face. 

“Thank you, Niles. I really appreciate this.”

 

His smile became gentler. “Anytime, love. Stay dry.” His voice seemed more sultry than normal. Her face heated again.

 

Corrin bolted out of the car, trying to evade the rain as best as she could. 

Slamming the giant door behind her, Corrin exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding. 

 

_ He's just messing with you. He's just messing with you. Get a grip, Corrin. _

 

His voice left her ears ringing. That smile he gave her pierced her heart, making her feel weak in the knees. But this was  _ Niles. _

 

This was the same guy who kept making sexual innuendoes and wouldn't stop even if it were to save his life. 

This was the same guy who went out of his way to bug her at her place of work. 

This was the  _ same _ guy who made crude remarks about literally everything. 

 

She shook it off. It was just Niles. There was no way he would be getting under her skin.

* * *

His keys hit the countertop. Niles let out a A yawn before heading into his kitchen and opening his fridge. Leftover Indian food from earlier that week and one lone beer stuck out the most.

Practically empty. 

He had to go grocery shopping soon. He was running out of everything. 

 

Niles heard a soft meow by his leg. 

“Hi, Leo. Hungry?”

 

The gray cat rubbed against his leg, purring. His fur was getting all over Niles’ black pants. 

 

“Alright. You're so greedy.” He grabbed the second to last of cat food in the fridge and cracked it open. The cat jumped onto the counter, waiting impatiently for his dinner. 

A loud meow came from the mixed cat. His big gold eyes seemed to almost beg for the food.

 

“Look I’m putting it in your bowl. See?” He scrapped the condensed cat food into the paw print bowl. “That's yours. Eat up, Leo.”

 

Once he had tended to his furry companion, Niles lie on his bed, contemplating how Corrin would appreciate the little surprise he snuck into her purse while they were sitting at the stop light. 

 

Gods she was too fun to tease.

* * *

“Big sister, can I borrow an eraser?” Sakura asked, not looking up from her algebra homework. Her peach pink hair was pulled back in a tiny ponytail. Her yellow pencil tapped against the island countertop while Corrin was preparing food for their family. “Mine keeps smudging every time I try to fix something…”   
  


“Yeah let me just go grab one from my purse. Can you watch the soup so it won’t burn?” Corrin put the spoon down on a napkin while she made her way to the stairs and up to her room. Sakura went over to stir for her. 

 

Corrin’s purse was sitting on her bed, unzipped, and completely undisturbed. Her room was as how she always left it. A little disorganised but with its own system. Papers were tucked in multiple books and a little pile of dirty laundry kept growing in the hamper on her door. A candle was lit and it smelled like peonies. It brought a sort of calm to her chaos. 

 

And with her system, her way of looking for things in her purse consisted of dumping out the contents on whatever flat, nearby surface there was and looking for it that way. All the essentials were there: pens, pencils, erasers, ID, extra feminine items in case for emergencies. 

 

But one thing stuck out in the midst of the organised mess. A tiny black package with a tiny blue sticky note stuck on it.    
  
Confused, Corrin pulled off the note and read:   


_ Enjoy this later~ _ _  
_ _ -N _

_ N? Who in the gods was N?  _ Corrin thought. But upon breaking the tape that kept the box sealed, she discovered what the secret gift was.    
A small, almost travel sized, pink cylinder fell into her hand. It sort of looked like a large pen. There was a dial at the end and it seemed to require batteries. A little turn at the knob at the base of the pen thing, it sprung to life. It...was vibrating. 

 

Corrin felt her face become pale. Her stomach dropped. She couldn’t even scream. Her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat.    
She then knew who “N” was in that split second. 

 

Turning the vibrating...thing...off and hiding it back in its box, she grabbed the eraser and bolted back down the stairs, nearly tripping. 

“Here’s your eraser, Sakura!” Corrin shouted, startling her poor younger sister, who nearly jumped out of her seat. 

 

“C-Corrin!”

 

“Sorry! Uh…” She couldn’t think. She was in such shock. And to think he would be  _ this _ ballsy with her. “S-Soup’s ready!”

* * *

It was Friday evening when Niles was working at _ One Desire.  _ It was a slow night. Sales were slow. And he only sold  ten flavored condoms that night. Three were grape, two were strawberry, and the other five were cherry. Cherry, of all things. Usually strawberry sold the most.

 

Niles looked around the empty shop, eyeing the one kid who claimed they were eighteen but had the face of a twelve year old. They kept hanging around the DVDs for a little too long.    
His concentration broke when the tiny bell rang to signal there was a new customer, and boy was she unhappy.

His face lit up as he saw the redness in her cheeks. 

 

“Corrin? I didn’t know you were into such  _ naughty _ things~,” he cooed. He loved watching her fume. It was almost cute to see her so riled up.    
  


“I would like to make a return,” Corrin hissed. She slammed the small black box on the counter and Niles made a tisking noise.    
  


“Oh sweetheart, have you heard the news?” 

 

Corrin was seething. “What. News?” 

 

Niles grinned as he tapped on the little sign on the counter. On a black background with white lettering read a sign that said  **NO RETURNS.**

A wry smile crossed over Niles’ face. Corrin was getting red. He swore he saw steam coming out of her cute ears. 

 

“I did not buy this,” Corrin said in a deadly tone. Her voice was low.    
  
“Ah but it has been opened, and you can’t return something that has already been opened. You know that, yes?” Niles tapped his fingers against the counter. He was amused with her reactions. Corrin was ready to punch him in his stupid face, and he wouldn’t say that he didn’t deserve it. But he would say that it was absolutely worth it. “Sorry love. No returns.”

 

“But I--!” Corrin began, but she was cut off by a slam right next to her. The ‘eighteen year old’ boy was ready to pay for his new porno.

 

“ID please,” he asked, eyeing the boy with suspicion. 

The red haired boy rusted in his big pockets and without a word, he put his ID on the counter.    
All Corrin could make out on the card was the name Hayato.    
A big blush ran over his baby face. He certainly looked younger than he actually was. He looked nervous. 

 

Niles looked up at him and cocked his eyebrow. With an exhale, Niles gave the poor boy back his ID. “That’ll be $18.43. Just a reminder,” his blue eyes looked over at the angry brunette girl standing at the counter , “no returns.”

Corrin flinched at the two words. He was doing this on purpose. He was being an asshole on purpose. 

 

Hayato gave the sly cashier a twenty dollar bill and took his DVD without a word. 

 

“You’re a jerk, you know that?”    
  


A pout came over him. “Oh, Princess. You don’t mean that. I’m a humble man just doing his job.”   
  


And with a huff, Corrin grabbed the tiny black box and turned on her heels, out the door and into the cold.    
“Please, do come back and give me some company, love,” she heard as she slammed the door shut.    
Corrin sat on the cold bus beside the same strange man who came to the diner in the evening. He was asleep.    
It was already embarrassing enough to have to carry this...thing around with her and now she had to get rid of it. She couldn’t just throw it out, what if someone found it?    
This much she knew. Niles was playing another game with her and she didn’t know how to play. 


	4. Another Asks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin can't concentrate so she works out her frustrations only to have him taunt her.   
> But she catches a break when her little sister's tutor asks her out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaat? Tsubaki a plot device? Naaaaaah.

It sat there, collecting dust in her purse. It was the elephant in the room. Corrin couldn’t go five minutes without glancing at the bag that held such a vulgar atrocity. She gripped her pen too tightly. She was so lucky that her pen didn’t yet explode from the crushing pressure that was her hand, squeezing it in sheer embarrassment and fury. 

 

It had been almost a week since her pilgrimage to the infamous “One Desire” adult shop. Corrin couldn’t bring herself to throw it away out of fear her family would find it sitting in the garbage. But it was hard to keep hiding it in her purse. Every time her hand brushed by the box when searching for her mints, she felt her skin crawl.    
This was getting to be too much for her. 

 

She rose from her desk chair and flattened her palms against the desk and closed her eyes.    
  


_ Inhale.  _

 

_ Exhale. _

 

“It’s just a toy. Its nothing,” Corrin said in the quiet and empty bedroom. But no matter how many times she tried to push it out of her mind, it loomed over her like a dark cloud. 

The haunting image of it springing to life plagued her. Pen splotches danced over her study guide for anthropology. 

 

Her concentration was dwindling. Her patience, running thin. His smooth voice kept echoing in her head, as if he were put on endless loop. 

_ No returns, princess.~ _

 

“That’s fucking it.”

 

Angrily shoving her school supplies in her larger bag and getting dressed for her next shift, Corrin made her way to the diner.

* * *

It was a slower night than normal. Her manager said she could take a break and study for a little while before hopping back on the clock. It was so much easier to concentrate without that  _ thing _ near her anymore.

The answers danced over the paper and she was back in her groove. Her black pen glided over the old paper with ease. Some of the answers were crossed out from the previous revelations she’d had. Things were running smoothly for her. It almost seemed like she would pass this next test. 

 

All hope had faded when he stepped in with that stupid smug grin on his face. Corrin didn’t notice him until she hear the scraping of the bar stool against the grimy floor. His spot. 

“Well well well. Look who’s squeezing some study time in at work. What a good student,” Niles teased. 

 

Corrin gripped her pen again. She didn’t even want to look at him. She was so mad that words were caught in her throat but they wouldn’t come out. There was so many things she wanted to say to him, call him awful things. But she remained quiet, looking down at her paper, giving him the silent treatment.    
“Are you still mad at me, Corrin? It’s been a week.”

 

She continued scribbling down answers and doodling in the margins. Her phone sat right beside her screen side down, occasionally checking the time.    
The clock read 10:29. She only had a little bit of time left before she had to clock back on and continue to work for another two hours.    
  


Her phone buzzed and she jumped. A message from Takumi.   
  


You need a ride back home at 1 right?

 

_ Yeah, are you coming to get me? _

 

Niles watched as she kept on getting startled by the gentle vibration beside her hand.    
“Are you doing okay there, princess? You seem to be a little… jumpy today.”    
His smooth, velvety voice was intruding again. Her resolve was crumbling. “Is something troubling you?”

 

_ You know DAMN well what’s troubling me, you sack of shit.  _ Corrin desperately wanted to scream at him. But alas, she had to beat him at his own game. 

 

“I’m stressed,” Corrin replied without looking up from her paper.    
Another vibration. 

 

Duh I’m coming to get you. You think I’m gonna let that scumbag take you home?

 

“Oh? What are you stressed about? Perhaps I could help you.~”   
  


He got under her skin. She glared at him with a fire that rivaled the sun itself.    
“I swear to the gods above me, if I fail this test because of a damn toy, I’ll never forgive you,” she hissed. She was seething. He pushed her to the brink and it took every ounce of self control in her to keep from smacking that smug smile off of his handsome face. 

 

“Babe, you practically jump every time your phone vibrates.”

 

“This is your fault and you know it.” A little alarm went off on her phone that sent her it into a buzzing fit. Corrin made a little meeping noise in surprise.    
Niles chuckled. She shot him the dirtiest of looks. “Shut up, asshole.”

Shoving her phone back into her apron and putting her school supplies back, she rose from her stool to clock back in. 

 

The night dragged on. Corrin’s phone still vibrated and sent chills down her spine.    
He kept texting her smiley faces and other assorted emojis. She was ready to throw her phone at him. And before she knew it, the clock struck one and Takumi began to call her relentlessly. 

 

“Come on and hurry up, Corrin. Its freezing out here and Hinata is whining about milkshakes,” Takumi complained. Corrin could hear Hinata yell from the passenger seat to bring him a chocolate milkshake for him and he swore he’d pay her back. Only Hinata would want a milkshake in near freezing weather.    
  


“Calm down, Takumi. I’m almost done, I need to do my close out. And tell Hinata he owes me five bucks.”   
Punching in the order, she heard a muffled ‘You owe her five dollars’ and a ‘Hell Yeah!!’.    
The laughing and cheering made Corrin feel a little better. “I’ll be out in five.”

 

Hanging up and grabbing her coat and effects, she sat back down at the bar for the milkshake. She knew it didn’t take long to make. Her long fingers drummed impatiently against the countertop.    
“Ready to go, princess?”    
She turned to see Niles pulling his own jacket on, his keys in hand. She turned her head away from him.

  
“My brother and his friend are here. Go home, Niles,” Corrin said. She was tired of his crude antics. For just one night, she didn’t want to hear his stupid sex jokes. She didn’t want to be subjected to his awful taste in music. She didn’t want to smell that old, stale cigarette smoke odor that stuck around in his car. The milkshake should be done soon anyways. And Takumi’s patience was wearing thinner by the second. 

 

“I see. Well then, have a good rest of your night, love. I’m sure you’ll do well on your exam tomorrow.” And without another word, Niles left. She was stunned. No other advance? No lasting comment that would eat at her for the rest of the night?   
Something was wrong with him. This game was confusing her more and more. 

 

The milkshake finally came out. Takumi kept honking the horn. And Corrin was caught in a daze, unsure of what to think.

* * *

The exam was easy for her. Corrin didn’t know why she worried and stressed so much to begin with.    
When finally leaving the classroom, she let out the breath she was holding for the entire test. Finally she could take a break and go home and watch the newest romantic drama with Hinoka and Sakura at home. Maybe she could bring some pizza and candies for later so that they could eat while they binge watched the show.    
Hinoka would most likely call her girlfriend over to watch it with them. And Camilla would never pass up on a good television drama, nor would she ever let the opportunity to tease Hinoka slip. 

 

Corrin absentmindedly smiled at the thought before she was suddenly greeted with a collision with another student.    
Papers flew everywhere. Some of the contents of her purse were scattered all over the ground. Thank the gods it WASN’T the box holding the gross secret she hid from the world.    
“Oh gods, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention, I’m so careless, I’m so so so sorry--”   
  


“Don’t worry, just next time watch--” That voice. It was familiar. She had heard that voice a couple times before.    
Looking up at the other person she bumped into, she let out a small gasp. The owner of the voice was a tall and beautiful young man. His hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. Its color was so red that it would bring cherries to shame. She could drown in his deep scarlet eyes.   
  


“Oh my gods, I know you! Where do I know you from?”    
He did a double take. That hair, that voice, those eyes…that unbelievably cute smile on her face. 

 

“Miss Corrin? My name is Tsubaki. I’m Sakura’s tutor. I come over from time to time to help her with her chemistry homework,” the young man said, aiding her in picking up all the stray pencils and papers. 

 

“I knew it! I knew I knew you from somewhere,” she exclaimed happily. “Have you been working on those abdominal exercises we talked about?”

 

Tsubaki flushed with embarrassment. Why did she have to bring that embarrassing moment in his life? It was less that stellar, and of course, far from perfect.    
“Of-of course, Miss Corrin. My stomach hasn’t been growling as much as it used to.” 

 

“Good! It was really strange to see you wolfing down food during the study breaks.” The vision of such an attractive man practically inhaling rice balls almost made Corrin break into a fit of laughter. “And please, Tsubaki. Call me Corrin. It’s not like I’m royalty or anything.”

They both stood before each other, blocking the walkway. Tsubaki was caught in a trance, staring down at the tiny brunette girl in front of him. The little white camellia flower clip stood stark against her dark hair. He watched her as she shyly tucked a long strand of hair behind one of her cute ears. Her ears were pierced. Simple little white earrings were worn. 

Her cheeks were rosy. 

Tsubaki drank her in. Slowly. He had to relish this little moment. 

 

He knew his friend had a cute older sister but not this cute. His heart hammered in his chest. Ever since she had heard his stomach growling, and since the time she saw him eat all the snack he had with him, she had been on his mind. It hadn’t happened too long ago, but he always missed the opportunity to ask her to lunch or for a study date… She saw beyond the perfectionist image he had so painstakingly made for himself. 

 

“Tsubaki? Are you well? You look a little red…” Her voice trailed off. He was gazing for far too long. 

 

“Perfect! I’m perfect, Mi--Corrin. Corrin. I’m okay. Don’t worry about me.” An awkward silence wedged itself between the two. Tsubaki rubbed the back of his neck. Corrin kept fiddling with the strap on her black purse.    
“I suppose I’ll see you again this Wednesday. Since… well… ”

 

“Yeah. Well I hope you have a good rest of your day, Tsubaki…” Corrin began to pass by him. But this wasn’t what Tsubaki wanted. This was going all wrong. He had asked if she was single and Sakura confirmed it. Corrin was single. She had to be!

 

“Wait, Corrin?”

 

She turned to look at the red faced young man. He looked so desperate. The calm and collected Tsubaki who helped her baby sister with complicated and otherwise, nerve wracking chemistry problems, looked extremely nervous.    
“Yes?”

 

“I was wondering. Perhaps, maybe after I tutor Sakura… You and I could grab a bite to eat? I can help you with some homework if you’d like.” Thank the gods his voice didn’t crack. 

She stared. Those bright, inquisitive ruby red eyes almost seemed to search his.    
He prayed she would think about it, at least. 

 

A soft, kind smile pulled at her cute mouth. 

“Sure.”

Unbeknownst to her eyes, another watched as she accepted Tsubaki’s date. He scowled. Taking the last drag of his cigarette, he put it out with his heel.   
If it was going to be like that, then he really had to step up his game. 

"Tch."


	5. Take the Dive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Thank you Moth for helping me edit!

Corrin’s back slid down her door, her body resting on the floor. Her heart was fluttering, her cheeks were flushed, and her smile was so wide that it hurt. She had always liked her little sister’s tutor. He was smart and unbelievably handsome. Just seeing him so flustered was enough to make her heart skip a beat. He was no doubt the kind of person she wanted to go out with.

She had given him her number, the blue pen marks on his hand standing stark against his pale skin. His hands were clean and neat and she barely noticed the callouses. His other hand had settled on his coffee, black compared to her own. Part of her was surprised, yet amused, in his taste; even she liked a bit of cream and sugar.  Her next class wasn’t until later and she knew she would treasure this spare time as they talked.

 

Thoughts of their brief encounter swam in her mind. She could barely concentrate on her homework that was due for the next morning. Papers were scattered over her desk haphazardly, leaving no order to her chaos. The loud knocking at her door was what broke her out of her daze.  
She jumped at the sudden loud noise.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Corrin, we’ve been calling you down for dinner for the last ten minutes. Come on, it’s getting cold,” Takumi’s voice was slightly muffled, but his tone was loud and clear. He was obviously irritated.

Scrambling up from her desk, Corrin sheepishly made her way down to the dinner table.

* * *

He cracked a window to let the smoke out. Some rerun of X-Files was playing on his beat up television set. The hum of Mulder’s voice filled the silent void that was Niles’ apartment. Leo lay in his lap, making biscuits on his leg, purring. The dull pain of claws digging through the fabric of his jeans kept him from dozing off on his couch.

His cigarette was bitter. The usual corner store that carried the ones he normally smoked were out of stock and he had to settle for the latter.

 

The taste was heavy and lingered in his mouth. His could feel the weight on his tongue.  


He frowned. Leaning over, he extinguished the half smoked cigarette in a small white ashtray on the coffee table. Papers littered all over the scratched up furniture and some had fallen to the ground, dragging as many as they could along with them to their dusty demise.

Pencils lay about, erasers already spent. Pens were nearly dried out.  
His own train of thought was thrown off course when he thought of Corrin blushing and giggling with Tsubaki.

 

Niles knew Tsubaki, oh yes. He was too handsome for words. Niles often daydreamed of what he would taste like on his lips, if he was just as sweet as that cherry red hair of his was.  
Drinking in Tsubaki was like sipping a strawberry mojito on a summer day. Sweet and intoxicating.

But seeing him make Corrin blush and giggle the way she did left him with the same taste the cigarettes left in his mouth.  
Heavy. Unwanted. Bitter.

The sweetness had turned to ash.

 

He exhaled his last cloud of smoke in the window’s general direction. His eyes stuck to the ceiling, lost in thought. Leo’s soft fur tickled his fingers as he forced his head under his owner’s hand. The sound of purring and a low hum of lights flickering outside his apartment was all that he could hear. And the tv was left forgotten, just like the screams of the victims of the parasite in the volcano.

 

He had to be more appealing to her. That was the only way for him to win her affections. Any kind of affections. Platonic. Or whatever. He didn't even know what he wanted to win anyway. All that he knew was that he found her absolutely enthralling, and he had to know more about her.  
  
Niles sighed. 

He had to be patient. These things took time. And time was all he had.

* * *

 

Halloween was nearing them. Lights and ghouls decorated the interior and exteriors of homes and various establishments.

The diner was one such establishment.

Crude drawings of monsters and pumpkins were stuck to the “Wall of Fame”. Mostly children had drawn lopsided pumpkins and werewolves. It was cute.

 

Little bat decorations hung from the ceiling over tables and a string of little lights wrapped around the hostess stand. Seasonal favorites were back on the menu, like pumpkin pancakes and pecan pie.

Even the coffee was seasonal.

Teenagers from the local high school flocked to the diner after their long day of learning, to only gossip about their peers and teachers. Corrin heard the laments of students around her as she set down ice cold water glasses before them.

 

Her blue pen was tucked in her back pocket along with the writing pad she used to take orders down. She wore her sweater as she worked. Even though the heater was on, the cold creeped in from the outside from the protective barriers that were the diner’s doors.

 

It was going to be a shorter shift tonight. The clock struck 7:30pm. Another hour and a half of serving up greasy hashbrowns and milkshakes.  
Corrin’s mind wandered elsewhere while she waited for people to walk in. She monitored a possible wait for any tables. Her thoughts trailed off to Tsubaki, smiling at her while they made small talk in the courtyard with their coffees in hand. His hair seemed to have more luster in the sunlight. His eyes brightened up when he smiled.

 

“So, this Friday? Would you like to get some dinner with me after I finish with Sakura?”

 

Corrin’s smile began to hurt her cheeks but she didn’t care. A gentleman such as him had taken a keen interest in her. His eyes were focused on her, not the time, the clubs trying to rally new members or on anything else around them.  
His eyes were all hers in those fifteen minutes. He gazed back into her own eyes. They were soft and smiling.  

 

“I’d really like that. Lucky I have that day off,” Corrin said.

 

“Oh Princess?”  
The voice was different. It wasn’t the same sing-song voice she heard the day before. It was rougher. Deeper. Teasing her out of her dreams, dragging her back to her reality.

Corring blinked. Spots obscured part of her vision before she rubbed them.  
And Niles stood before her with a soft smirk. He had that cheeky look on his face like he knew something she didn’t. Like she wasn’t in on the joke.

 

“Sweet princess, you’ve been dozing off for the last five minutes. Are you getting enough rest?” Niles crooned. His voice was like melted dark chocolate. Decedent, smooth and absolutely tooth rottingly sweet. Too much of it would give her a stomach ache.

She pouted. Niles had broken the fantasy she was creating for herself.  

 

“Sit wherever you want. I'll be right with you.” Her tone was cold like the icy winds blowing outside, creeping through the cracks of the doors.

 

“I'll be at my usual spot, love.” He strode over to the end stool at the bar as Corrin followed him with menus. One for their all year specials and the seasonal items.

There was an unspoken rhythm between them. She knew what he wanted to drink. Black coffee. No sugar no cream no anything. It was bitter, almost to cancel out the dulcet tones in his voice. Hearing him made her feel like she was doing something bad or taboo.

 

Without waiting for him, Corrin pulled out the pad of paper and pen. It was the same pen she used to write her number on Tsubaki’s gorgeous hand. A rush of delight washed over her like a wave crashing on the beach when she held it. It gave her a sort of thrill of what she would be looking forward to in the week.  
It was only Wednesday and she was already getting jitters over her date.

 

Ocean blue eyes were glued to her. His head rested against his head watching her when she poured his coffee. Corrin’s hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail with the white flower clip in the rubber band. Her eyelashes almost tickled the bottom of her eyebrows. He noticed that her lips looked a little redder than normal. The pout she had was always adorable, and that little pop of color made it almost irresistible. Was it tinted lip balm? What did it taste like? Cherries? Was she a cherry or a strawberry kind of person?  


“What do you want?” Her voice was clear like a bell. Her eyes were narrowed at him with her patience wearing thin. Corrin wanted him to leave, and fast.  
Now Niles was the one caught in the daze, gawking at his cute server. He was the deer in the headlights.

“Pumpkin waffles. A la carte.”

 

The waiting was the most awkward part. Corrin continued seating others down at worn down booths and taking orders from finicky teenagers, debating whether or not those bacon slices were worth the extra dollar-fifty.  
It only took ten minutes for Niles’ food to make it to him, piping hot and with a side of syrup.  
Corrin came by from time to time, refilling his coffee.  


“Corrin, I have a proposition for you,” Niles said between bites of waffle.  
His coffee was freshly poured and Corrin shot him a dirty look.  


“After that stunt you pulled, no way I’ll probably consider it,” she hissed.

 

It was then Niles’ turn to pout. “You don’t even know what it is, love. How can you say no already?”  
His smile was his choice weapon. He could see Corrin go weak in the knees.  


“Because I know you. You’re a sleazy jerk who likes to enjoy other’s embarrassment.” Her tone said it all. She was still angry at him. He could only wonder what she did with the little gift he gave her.  
Maybe it was in the trash. Maybe not.  


A sad little smile crossed his face. “I’m sorry, Corrin. I won’t do it again. Scout’s honor.” Niles made an ‘x’ over his chest. He tried to sound as sincere as he felt. Seeing her so angry at him hurt him.  
The sudden apology took her by surprise. The look in his eye told her that he was being honest. His face was relaxed and relieved of any other ulterior motives he could be hiding from her.

 

“Fine. But pull that kind of shit like that again, I won't forgive you.”

 

He smiled. It was a gentle smile. Corrin couldn’t deny that Niles was absolutely handsome and she disliked him most of the time. But something about him drew her to him.  
The waffles were gone. The coffee cup sat empty, void of any forgotten drops of what once was there.

 

“Now, my proposition. Would you like to spend some time with me after this? I have a good surprise you might appreciate.” The mischievous glint was back in his eyes. His grin was catlike.  


Corrin caught herself staring at him. Those blue eyes were dragging her under the vicious waves.  
The curiosity of what he had in store for her was itching at her. What could he possibly have that could make her want to spend some of her spare time with him? Surely it wasn’t a giant paycheck.

 

“What is it?”

 

He chuckled at her.  
“Oh sweetheart. It wouldn’t be a surprise if I just told you what it was. All you need to do is accept my proposal.” There it was the same overly sweet voice. It was deep and tempting her to take a dive and test the waters.  
Her heart was racing. Those eyes had her on edge.  
  
She let out a deep breath that she didn’t know she was holding.  
What did she have to lose.

 

“It better not suck."


	6. If You Were Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niles takes Corrin to have a relaxing bonding moment. Corrin is far from relaxed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY I WANTED TO UPDATE AND THIS HAS BEEN SITTING FOR MONTHS FORGIVE ME.   
> I will never ever EVER give up on this story.
> 
> NOTE: The song that is playing at the end is "If You Were Here" by the Cary Brothers.   
> Please enjoy!
> 
> My tumblr: moody-akira.tumblr.com

“You know if you wanted to get me drunk, you could have just said so in the first place,” Corrin huffed, taking a sip of the hard cider. The sweet liquid brought on a wave of instant relief. Her nerves began to buzz. Her fingers were tingling. A sly grin danced at the corners of her mouth. 

Packs of beer and hard cider sat in the back seat in a small red cooler. It wasn’t very big but it looked like it was packed for one night’s session of drinking and making a handful of regrets neither of them would probably remember in the morning. 

 

Niles had driven her to the lake by the university. It was a clear, crisp night. One would get a chill if they failed to wear a jacket or a sweater. The moon was full and bright. It was a beacon in the dark blue sky. Stars twinkled and Niles swore that he some some reflect in Corrin’s dark eyes.    
She slumped down in her warm seat, the warmer flicked on. Her soft, button up black sweater was gathering at her elbows, and she was too lazy to pull it back up.

 

Niles frowned at her. “Princess, I would never intentionally get you intoxicated.”   
His pout made Corrin almost choke on her cider. Seeing him act like a petulant child never failed to make her laugh. That look of his bottom lip jutting out slightly and those snowy white brows furrowing was an image she she would keep in the back of her mind if she ever needed a little pick-me-up. 

 

Corrin scoffed. “God Niles, how old are you? Three?”

 

He crossed his arms and huffed like a child.

“I turn twenty-five next April, Corrin.”

 

His comment made laughter erupt from the tiny girl sitting next to him. It wasn’t even that funny. But his body language and the adorable pouty expression on his face was what really got to her.    
Her laughter made him pout in tenfold.

 

“Corrin you are a cruel young woman, poking fun at an innocent man like me.”   
  


Another fit overcame her. “You? An innocent man?  That’s a load of shit and you know it!”    
Corrin held her knees close to her body as she shook with laughter. Niles looked over at the small girl. She was triumphant, taking a swig of her hard apple cider, her cheeks growing increasingly redder. 

Niles smirked. He leaned back in his seat, and threw his arm out dramatically, the back of his hand resting against his forehead.   
A dramatic, exasperated sigh left him as his back hit the worn seat.

 

“You leave me in tatters, my dear Corrin. How will I ever recover from your deadly words?”

 

Corrin snorted as she took another sip from the bottle, letting the sweet beverage slide down her throat. Her body got hotter as she laughed at the childish antics Niles was putting up for her.    
He cracked his eye to watch her laugh, holding the green bottle by the neck. He felt himself growing red too. Corrin looked so cute while she laughed, Those strawberry red cheeks made him smile. Her laugh brought him a sense of comfort. 

 

It felt right. Natural. Like she was meant to be like this with him.    
He chewed at the inside of his cheek. The thought of Tsubaki making her laugh the way he did made a black pit grow in his stomach. The idea of her flashing Tsubaki those cheeky, coy grins she gave him whenever she caught him doing something absolutely foolish or idiotic made him nauseous. 

The mere thought of his long fingers brushing her own, twining with her, made the beer taste like acid bubbling in his throat. 

 

“Niles? You’re staring at me again. You see something you like?” Corrin said, smirking. Her hair was slightly mussed. Dark brown strands were straying from her ponytail. The sleeves of her cotton jacket bunched at her elbows. Her grin spoke volumes. The cider was getting to her already. 

 

“Love, are you already drunk?” 

 

It was Corrin’s turn to pout. She crossed her arms and fell back against the warmed seat, landing against it with a thud.    
“No, Niles. I don’t intend on getting drunk with you,” she huffed. She sipped her cider, arms crossed and her knees were pulled close to her chest.    
  
A hum of music filled the empty space between them.    
Niles exhaled as he settled back in his seat, gulping down the rest of the bitter, hoppy, amber liquid. He savored it for a moment, the lingering aftertaste settling on his tongue. Grabbing his bottle opener, he cracked another one open, sipping it slowly. 

 

“Aren’t you the one who’s going to be drunk?” Corrin asked. Her pout was still lingering on her soft face. 

 

“Of course not. I’ve just had one, like you.”    
He grinned. “Are you perhaps, worried about me, my dear?”   
  


Corrin felt blood rush to her cheeks. His velvety voice caressed her again, pulling her close.    
“N-No! I just don’t want a drunk man driving me home!” she retorted, her voice raising in pitch.    
  
God she was too cute and too fun to tease. Niles chuckled, sipping his beer again.    
He placed it back in the cupholder and tuned his radio.    
“Is there something you would like to listen to?”

 

Corrin thought for a second. “Surprise me. But if it’s Smashmouth, I’m leaving.”

 

“Damn, you got me,” Niles said teasingly. He continued to fiddle with the radio, shuffling the old burned CDs old friends and past lovers had gifted him in the past. He flicked through old songs, some that have aged gracefully, and some that were hot for a hot year and died out like a candle’s flame. 

 

A familiar tune filled the car. A simple tune filled the air, and then the drums began to beat in harmony with the bass.    
An age old classic. Of course men like him liked the oldies, even if he wasn’t born in the same year the song was made. 

 

“ _ Everybody Wants to Rule the World  _ by Tears for Fears? Didn’t suspect you for liking them since you listen to Zeppelin,” Corrin said, looking over at him, her foot tapping to the beat of the song. She loved their song and the the cover she had on her phone, but nothing beat the original. 

 

“I’m a man of varying taste. I like to bounce around.” Niles took another sip and pulled his pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket, tossing them into his ash tray.

 

“Please don’t smoke around me. You already stink because of that gross IPA you’re drinking,” she said, curling close to the window. She was shutting him down before he had the chance to grab for his lighter. The idea of smelling his awful cigarettes next to his awful beer was a line she was not willing to cross. 

 

Niles frowned at her, offended by her accusation.

“I would never smoke around you, love. I’m not that much of an ass,” he replied, his voice low. He lifted the bottle of beer back to his lip, taking a gulp.    
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and looked at her with intent. 

 

“Why are you staring at me?”

 

“I find you incredibly interesting, Corrin. Your wit and your sharp words never fail to fascinate me. It’s not every day a girl will accept your offer of going to have a couple of drinks by a lake late at night.”

 

Corrin began to feel heat rise in her cheeks again. The smile he gave her was a genuine one. It gave her shivers from her toes and up her spine. She felt the pleasant buzz from the topaz cider ran through her every nerve. She felt herself curl in more. His voice reminded her of Tsubaki’s. Gentle. Warm. Comforting. 

 

Niles reached over and moved her hair from her wine red eyes. Her own locked with a sole lapis eye, the other glazed over and cloudy. Corrin could make out a large and angry red scar going over the lid of his glossy right eye.    
Without thinking, she leaned in, and moved his snow white hair from his own obscured vision. Her lightly calloused fingers brushed over dark, tanned skin.    
  


Niles was filled with panic. 

Her sudden touch made him nearly jump away from her. Normally, he would have welcomed her touch. But when she moved his hair, the demons of his past began to break from their confines. His heart began to race. The suffocating fear of being ridiculed and rejected filled his core. Niles felt his hair stand on end. Goosebumps formed on his arms.    
  


Corrin quickly drew her hand back, noticing the discomfort on his face. “I’m… I’m sorry. I didn’t--I didn’t mean to--”

 

“It’s fine, sweetheart. You didn’t know,” Niles breathed, his breaths labored and shaky. His heart was racing a million miles per second.    
Corrin sank back in her corner of the seat. A hot wash of shame crashed on her like a tidal wave. She shouldn’t have let her curiosity get the better of her. Normally she wouldn’t have acted so foolishly, but he was so… intriguing. As he found her fascinating, Corrin found her companion as mysterious as he found her, even though he infuriated her to no end. 

 

The car’s clock read 1am. They had sat here, drinking and enjoying the silence while the guitar riff from the song filled the empty space between them. The song faded out to another song. A softer one. The guitar wasn’t as aggressive. It almost sounded acoustic. 

The feeling it gave her was a warm and fuzzy one, like a blanket being wrapped around her. 

Her eyes grew heavy. Her bottle of cider was empty and sitting in the cup holder, empty and abandoned.    
  
She heard a voice, singing along to the music as she felt the car begin to move again. Niles’ voice broke the silence between them as he backed out of the space where he was previously parked. The lake’s water was a mirror for the moon. Reflecting the her pale light and marveling in her beauty.

The car’s old wheels rolled over the dirt road as they left their secluded area by the lake. The streetlights flickered their yellow glow, illuminating the street before them. 

 

The streets were empty. Not a soul could be seen and not a sound could shatter the silence.    
Niles continued to sing, his fingers tapping on the steering wheel. Corrin was completely unaware of his eyes on her, casting his longing gaze on her. A gentle smile crossed his features.    
Corrin began to hum with him. The song made her feel safe and comfortable. Sounds of guitars and drums gently colliding into one another created a harmony she couldn’t explain. It was Niles if he were a song… his gentle voice drew her in, taking her by the hand and he guided her.    
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Her heart was a hummingbird trapped in the cage that was her ribs.    
  
_ No! You have a date with Tsubaki! Tsubaki doesn’t tease you when you turn red and he isn’t rude and suggestive like he is on the daily. Sex doesn’t make up the majority of his thoughts! _

 

Corrin’s thoughts were betraying her heart. She would be lying to the world and herself if she said she didn’t want to feel Niles’ calloused thumb rubbing the skin of her hand, caressing her.    
To his ruggedness, there was a sliver of gentleness. She had seen it when he took her home a month before, warming his car, getting new air fresheners so she wouldn’t sneeze every time she opened the car door and letting the stale smoke permeate her nose. 

 

Part of him felt like velvet. Smooth and silky and warm. He was cinnamon and cloves, spicy and earthy.    
  
Tsubaki to her was fresh rain and camellia flowers. She wanted his flowery words to drift her off and away from the earth that held her down.    
  
“Corrin? Are you alright there?”   
His voice tore her from the air and flowery winds and back down to the ground.   
  
“Yes, I’m just sleepy. Are you taking me home?”

 

Niles quirked an eyebrow. “Is there somewhere else you would like to be alone with me? Buy me dinner first,” he teased. 

 

“Oh screw you.”

 

The car ride back to her house wasn’t as long as she initially thought it would be.    
Bracing herself for the biting cold, she turned to him.    
“Thanks… I needed that.” Her heart still was sent into a flurry when he smiled at her.    
  
_ Be still my beating heart!  _

 

“Anytime. I had fun with you. Sleep well, princess,” Niles said as she exited the car.    
Corrin bolted up the steps and into her house. Her back hit the wood as she slid down the door. It felt like her chest would burst from how hard her heart was pounding.    
Corrin wracked her brain for an explanation. 

 

Probably the stupid beer. Stupid beer. Stupid heart. Stupid Niles. 


	7. The Grey Waves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin finally goes on her date with Tsubaki but it goes far from what she had expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS! I finished my finals and my semester for the year and I am BACK in business. Sorry to leave you all hanging for so long.  
> I hope you all enjoy this extra long chapter.
> 
> Thank you to those who have supported me from day one and for my friend for beta reading this.  
> If you would like more information, find me at moody-akira.tumblr.com
> 
> The song that was playing was "If You Were Here" by The Cary Brothers.

The song lingered in her head like the scent of his smoke on his clothes. It stuck. No matter how many times she tried to scrub it out of her mind, it still was there.   
During class, she would find herself humming to the tune of it while writing down notes from the professor’s anthropology powerpoint. Once during one of her shifts, she realized she was singing it while putting dirty dishes in the bins.   
She shook her head to rid herself of the haunting tune. Its lyrics clung to her like shrink wrap.

 

And the more she thought about it, the more she thought about him. The more she thought about his gentle smile. She felt her heart skip beats when she thought of the moment when he brushed her hair out of her face. His fingers were rough but his movements were gentle.

Heat rose again in her cheeks. She slammed the plates in the bin and wiped her hands on her apron.   
Tomorrow was going to be her date with Tsubaki. She had been looking forward to this all week, and she wasn’t going to let the thought of Niles ruin it for her.

 

That Friday next morning dragged as the minutes marched on. Her English literature teacher had set up for a class debate on Oscar Wilde’s different plays and the themes he constructed for the various ones.   
Corrin tapped her pen absentmindedly on her chin, the song stuck in her head and a mind full of  hopes of her date that would take place that night. Tsubaki’s hands holding hers, caressing the skin with the pad of his thumb made Corrin warm. He was always gentle when he spoke to her. His smile was the sun, warm and brilliant. She could think of a plethora of things they could be doing on their date scheduled for that evening.   
He had promised to treat her right after their classes ended. He would take her somewhere and leave their university stresses behind in the parking lot.

  
Corrin smiled at the thought of having a nice, romantic dinner where the sun was setting. She could just picture his deep cherry eyes gazing into her own.   
She fiddled with a piece of her hair. Her smile widened. Butterflies fluttered in her chest with the warmth that was beating in her heart.

 

“Hey, Corrin? You got anything on this topic?”  
A voice. A touch.

 

She was shaken out of her daydream. Kaze’s hand gently patted her. Wine eyes blinked rapidly.   
“Wh-What did I miss?”

* * *

Tsubaki was outside his organic chemistry lab, shifting the weight on his feet nervously. He ran his hand through his bangs, fiddling with the loose hairs in his tied ponytail. His hands were shoved unceremoniously into his jacket pockets. 

 

Where could she be? It has been nearly twenty minutes since she said she was going to be out of class. His palms began to sweat. Nothing made him more anxiety ridden than him having sweaty, dirty palms. Especially if it were his own.

His heart raced. She couldn’t have forgotten or…

 

Tsubaki gnawed on his bottom lip, wearing it away.   
She wasn’t going to stand him up...was she?

 

All the worst case scenarios played in frames, looping over and over again in his head. Until he saw a cheery face in the swarms of  exhausted students. She was walking through with her bag in tow, her hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. Her camellia hair clip kept most of her hair in one place, tucked behind her cute ears.   
Her own pieces of hair were sticking out in each direction. Her large cream colored sweater swallowed her sunkissed arms. He felt relief wash over him.

 

Tsubaki walked through the crown and met her halfway in the hall. She peered up at him with big burgundy eyes and a bright smile that lit his heart aflame.   
“You look lovely, M--Corrin. You look adorable…” Tsubaki’s cheeks were stained a deep crimson. He retained his composure but his face had given away to the embarrassment and excitement.   


“As do you,” Corrin said, her own cheeks dusted pink.  Her heart was fluttering in her chest like a hummingbird was trapped in her ribcage. She couldn’t stop smiling. Her small hand gripped the strap of her blue book bag. Tsubaki and her exchanged smitten glances until the spark of realization hit them both as they were standing in the middle of hallway traffic.

 

Tsubaki shook his head to clear his thoughts. His focus was now glued on her and their surroundings.   
He let out an exhale. “Are you ready to go?”

 

His voice rang loud and clear, like a church bell amongst the crowded hall of tired and stressed students that were probably worried about their exams, or running late to class.   
“Yes of course,” she responded.   
  
He smiled at her. “Come,” he said, gesturing his arm out to her. Corrin stepped forward and held onto his arm. A larger blush had surfaced on her cheeks as her arms wrapped around his own, guiding her down the halls and down to the parking structure in the far side of the building.   
The depths of the structure were cold and damp from the rain that morning.

 

A chill went down Corrin’s spine. Tsubaki looked down at the shivering girl holding onto his arm.   
“Almost there, Corrin. I have seat warmers in my car if you are interested.”

 

Corrin felt a jab in her heart. Niles’ smile flashed in her head once Tsubaki had said that. The night where he took her home the first time was the only thought on her mind. The memory burned in her brain.   
Her silence troubled Tsubaki.

 

“Corrin? Are you alright?” He asked, shaking her gently, attempting to bring her back to reality.

Her eyes blinked several times before looking back up at Tsubaki , dazed and confused.  


“What?”  
  
“I have seat warmers in my car so it will help with the cold,” Tsubaki repeated, grabbing for his keys in his pocket. He clicked the button on the remote to unlock his car when Corrin let go of his arm. She smiled at him.

 

“That’s the best thing you’ve said all day,” Corrin said, smiling painfully. Her heart ached. Why? It was a dull ache for something. Yearning. Something was missing. She didn’t even hear Tsubaki’s faint hints of flirting as she was drowning in a daydream. She had been looking forward to this all week. Hell she even had dreams of this very day. But… there he was, lingering in the back of her head, smiling and driving under the yellow dimness of the streetlights lining the roads.

A painful, tight twist in her gut wracked through her, making her grimace. Was this… guilt?  
Why now, of all times? Why now did her heart decide to focus on Niles of all people?

* * *

 

The restaurant was warm and cozy. The chandeliers above them weren’t lit with actual candles but with LED lights instead. The plush grey booths made Corrin sink into the comfort they added. It wasn’t covered with plastic like it was at the dinner. Corrin gingerly ran her finger over the fabric, gliding over the material. The seating was soft, like velvet.

The tables were so large, compared to the little, dinky ones at the diner where she worked. The silverware set on the table was all polished and pristine. There were spoons and forks that completely baffled her. Who needed _that_  many forks and spoons? Why was that knife shaped so strangely?

 

“Good afternoon, welcome to The Grey Waves. My name is Niles and I will be serving you today,” a young man said, setting glasses of water down on the slate blue clothed table. The glasses already began to sweat. Dribbles of water slipped down the side of the glass. In the reflection of her cup of water, she saw a familiar face in the ripples. Her eyes darted to see none other than Niles, dressed in a crisp, white, button up dress shirt. Around his neck was a blue and grey striped tie. A long black apron was tied around his waist. His long snowy locks were pulled back in a little ponytail, if she could even call it that.  
Gods, even his sleeves were rolled up to expose his strong arms. They were toned and had a scar or two on his left arm from something. A fight? An altercation with a stucco wall? Cats?   
She felt heat rising in her cheeks.

  
_Corrin why are you going gaga about the waiter’s arms when you have a babe sitting right next to you?!_

 

She shook her head as her eyes widened in shock as she saw his deep blue eyes meet her raspberry irises. A catlike grin stretched across his face, his teeth flashing at her.

 

“Ah, Corrin, how lovely of you to visit me again,” he said sweetly, taunting her. His hands folded together, fingers interlocking.

Corrin felt the hairs on her arm stand up.

 

“I-I didn’t know you worked here!” Corrin retorted a bit too loud for a restaurant. People turned their heads in confusion to stare at the source of the noise.   
Corrin felt embarrassment overcome her.  She could feel his eyes on her, as well as Tsubaki’s.

 

“You two… know each other?”

 

Corrin’s screams echoed off the walls of her skull. She was screaming a storm of furious obscenities that should never be uttered in public or, probably better, not even at all.   
She wanted to run out of the restaurant and pack her bags to just avoid this awkward confrontation with the man she was on a nice date with, and the disgusting man who insisted on slipping any or all innuendoes he possibly could in any conversation.

She wanted to run and never look back. But alas, she was there. In the booth. Sitting beside Tsubaki in this restaurant with Niles, grinning at her with his panther’s smile.

 

“Yeah. He’s a friend of a friend,” Corrin said, crossing her arms. She avoided Niles’ eyes as best as she could. She could see his grin widen out of the corner of her eye.   


“Yes, I am a friend of the youngest Nohrian son. But that is neither here nor there.” Niles reached in the pouch of his apron to pull out a ticket book and a pen.   
“Perhaps I can get you something besides water to drink? I can recommend a very _sultry_ red wine if you both are interested.” His words oozed like honey dripping from a spoon.   
Corrin’s slightly pointed ears turned red.   
  
_Oh no. He was NOT going to be like_ THIS _NOW was he!?_

 

He licked his lips, intentionally dragging Corrin into his gaze. She felt hot. And she was furious.

 

Tsubaki, thankfully, refused the wine as he was driving them back after dinner.   
Niles understood and left them for a couple of minutes to look over the menu.

 

Corrin’s eyes widened at the selection before her. She had never seen such dishes such as these. Authentic Valla cuisine was hard to come by, as there were  many fast food joints that served the staples, like gyro and pitas with tomatoes.   
But this… this was a whole new world.

 

Corrin’s mouth watered at some of the appetizers, such as goat cheese and pine nut stuffed figs and fresh caught fish paellas.   


“You come here often?” Corrin asked, tucking a stray strand of her cocoa brown hair behind her ear. Tsubaki looked up at her and her shy smile made his heart skip a beat. She was too cute…

But her interaction with their waiter left him feeling confused and left out of the loop.

 

He had never seen her behave like that. Not as graceful and poised as she normally was. But she was flustered and perturbed by something. Or someone. But seeing her smiling so sweetly at him, it made him forget all about her missteps.

 

“Yes, I have a couple of times with Hana and Sakura. It was Azura who showed me this place. She said it reminded her of home a bit.”   
He lamented.  Silence wedged between the two before Niles sliced it apart with the red hot knife that was his silky voice.

Damn him.

 

“Have you made a decision or would you like some suggestions?”

 

Tsubaki looked back up at Corrin, wordlessly asking her if she had made her choice on a meal. Glancing back down at the laminated menu, the items popped out at her like pictures in a children’s pop-up book. The paella looked good, but those figs were calling her name. Though they were an appetizer, it looked too good to pass up.

 

“H-How are the stuffed figs?” Corrin nervously asked her server. Niles smiled.

 

“I love them. Certainly a dish to get someone in the mood,” he purred. “I love how the savory and the sweet just mix together. The juice just drips down your chin.” His eyes locked with hers. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing! The cad! Damn him!

 

“W-Well I’ll have those then,” Corrin stuttered, snapping the menu shut. She tried desperately to avoid Niles’ gaze but she was like a fly in his web, caught between a heated embarrassment and an unbridled fury.

She felt Tsubaki’s glance as he ordered a fish paella to share. Niles refilled their respective water glasses and left them to themselves.   


Corrin felt her cheeks still burn from the encounter. How dare he try to ruin this for her?! Did he get off on making her upset and humiliated in front of everyone? ESPECIALLY her date?!   
She crossed her arms and huffed in annoyance.   


Tsubaki watched her, troubled. Corrin had never been this upset before. Especially about another man. Who was he and what did he mean to her? Clearly it had to be something big since he could warrant such a strong reaction from her.   
He took a sip from his water and gulped. “Corrin, were you ever…” He paused. He had to shove down a stifling sensation of jealousy in his throat, threatening to rear its ugly head. “... were you intimate with him once?”

 

She choked on her water mid-sip. Water flushed down her lungs and she coughed several times. The thought of being _intimate_ with Niles flashed in her head. The sheer idea of him kissing her at all gave her goosebumps. Her cheeks turned a bright red. The tips of her ears were bright. She couldn’t stop coughing. The thought of him putting his hands of her made her feel strange.

 

Tsubaki panicked and pat her back to help her stop coughing.

 

When Corrin could finally breathe, she hissed, “I have never, nor will I ever, be intimate with him!” She huffed. “He is rude and crude and he won’t leave me alone!”   
Corrin couldn’t have the pleasure of sleeping since he constantly found it amusing to intrude in on her dreams too. All she had been thinking about was the night when she went to go drink with him, and this date. But no, he HAD to be here too!

 

_And that song._

Gods, that song couldn’t get more annoying, as it grew on her like a fungus.

 

Corrin exhaled.   
Tsubaki bit his lip. He should have trusted her more than to ever want to be with a fool such as Niles Mircea.   
He was always like that, behaving like a lewd bastard, disgusting those around him with the comments he made.

 

Their meals came, piping hot and the aroma of the pan fried, seafood rice wafted through the air, making Corrin’s mouth water. The sight was heavenly. The figs looked absolutely stuffed with the goat cheese. Pine nuts were sprinkled on top with a sprigs of arugula as decorations on the delicate plate. Small violets were scattered on the china to give it a delicate appearance. It looked beautiful as it did delicious. Niles skillfully carried their plates and serving places and served them, gingerly placing them before the couple.

 

“Here is the the stuffed figs and here is the fish paella. I hope you enjoy,” Niles said with a smile, but his eyes were on Corrin. It was a genuine smile… almost like he actually wanted her to have a good time.

Corrin and Tsubaki thanked him for the meal and when Corrin bit into her figs, Niles wasn’t kidding when he said the juice just dribbles down her chin when she bit into it. A flood of flavors burst in her mouth as the sweetness of the figs mixed with the soft goat cheese curds, marrying them beautifully. She frantically reached for her napkin and wiped the juice away.

 

“This is delicious!!” Corrin exclaimed, wiping her mouth.   
Tsubaki smiled at her.

“I’m so glad you do. I knew you would like it here,” he beamed back at her.   
Their talks of Sakura, school and their family life filled their empty silences. He even cracked a couple of jokes that made them both laugh.

 

The piles of food on their plates accumulated. Niles had come back occasionally to refill her glass of water and check on her. She could hear him chuckle when he saw her with her cheeks stuffed with shrimp and fried rice. Her pout made him chuckle even more.   
“I’m so glad you enjoy it.” He reached back in his apron and left a bill for the two in a checkbook. “Take your time.”

 

As he was about to walk away, Tsubaki slipped his card in and asked for a two boxes. One for her two neglected figs and one for the leftover fish fried rice. “You can take it now,” Tsubaki snapped, getting Niles’ attention. He crossed his arms and his sharp glare cut through him like a blade. But Niles didn’t even flinch.  
  
For once, he was silent. He grabbed the book and left.   
Corrin sank in her seat. Did he… not like Niles?

_I mean, fair reason not to but… he’s at work…_

 

Corrin shifted in her seat awkwardly. She had customers that would bark at her at even the smallest things, like if there wasn’t enough glass in their glasses.   
But Tsubaki couldn’t be like that, right? Right?

 

Niles returned with their bill and a bag full of their leftovers.   
“Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your evening.” Niles looked at Corrin and winked. “I’ll see you later, Miss Corrin.” His voice was gentle. Her cheeks were tinted pink by his silky, warm voice.   


Tsubaki grit his teeth in frustration. “If you don’t mind, Mircea, but kindly stop flirting with my date,” he seethed. He slapped a couple of bills in the booklet for the tip after a few calculations on his phone, and stood up, attempting to intimidate the Nohrian man.   
“Know your place.”

 

Niles shrugged. “Have a good day then, _Sir._ ”

 

Tsubaki left with Corrin in tow. She looked back at Niles who grinned at her.

Corrin felt that same twist in her gut before she and Tsubaki pulled out of the parking lot.   
As they both left, Niles looked back in the booklet. On a thirty five dollar tab, bastard only left five twenty. Niles sighed.   
“Asshole."

* * *

 

The ride back was silent.  Corrin wrung her hands and looked out the window. The awkward silence between her and Tsubaki was deafening. She didn’t know what to say or how to react to how he behaved when they left the restaurant.   
But he spoke up before she could even process how the conversation would play out in her head.   


“Did you have a good time?” he asked, sheepishly. Corrin looked to the driver’s side. His eyes were glued on the road. The sky was dark and the streetlights illuminated one by one on the sides of the road. His eyes were focused.

But he was chewing on his lip, nervous.

 

“Y-yeah, I had a great time thank you for taking me out.”

 

Another silence wedged between them again. She missed hearing the radio playing when she was with…

 

She shook her head. She could see her house now. The tree was losing its leaves, scattering and littering the grass below it. The roses were trimmed back for the coming winter and the porch light was flicked on.

When the car came to a stop at the curb, he parked and turned to look at her nervously fiddling with the sleeves of her creamy sweater. He let out a sigh.   
He wanted to see her again but…

 

“I need to ask you something.”

 

Corrin winced. “About?”

 

“Are you sure he means nothing to you?”His heart was slamming against his ribs.

 

She frowned at him. “Yeah, he’s just…a friend. He just likes to annoy me.”

As she began to reach for her purse, Tsubaki grabbed her hand. The look in his eyes was ernest, longing… just like…   
  
_STOP IT CORRIN!_

 

“I’d like to see you again, if you want to go out again, if you would like…” Tsubaki rambled, his words trailing off.   
She wriggled her hand from his.   
  
“I’ll let you know of my schedule.”   
She left the car and shut the door when she was inside her house. The warmth engulfed her like a familiar embrace. She slipped her shoes off and made off to her bedroom without a word to Hinoka about her date with her sister’s friend.   
Corrin shut the door to her room and slid her back down to the floor.   
Damn Niles. Damn him for making this date she was looking forward to for nearly a week awkward.

  
As she lamented in the awkwardness of the past several hours, her phone buzzed. A text.   
Corrin unlocked her phone and a single text lit up on her phone.

 

**Niles: So. Are you free sometime tonight?**


	8. So, You In?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin is tempted by an offer that Niles offers her. And with throwing care to the wind, she blindly joins him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has taken me months to write. And its extra long, just for you.  
> And now I will proceed to crawl under a rock for the next several months. Well. Hopefully not. Please enjoy, thank you so much for your patience...
> 
> Thank you to Moth for helping me and beta reading.

Corrin’s eyebrow twitched. Her smile stretched painfully on her flushed cheeks. The overwhelming urge to release a blood-curdling  scream and throw her phone across her bedroom ballooned in her.    
Gripping her phone, her thumbs glided over the screen, furiously typing out a response. 

 

Corrin: Haha very funny asshole

 

Buzz. Buzz.   
She blinked at the sudden vibrations. That was fast. 

 

Niles: :(

Niles: that hurts princess

 

Corrin rolled her eyes. The keys clicked as her thumbs tapped in the letters for her next text with the one who ruined her date. Her smile had turned to a deep frown, eyebrows furrowed in irritation. She sat up against her door, crossing her sock clad legs. 

 

Corrin: oh well

 

Buzz. Buzz. 

 

Niles: you hurt my poor feelings   
Niles: and here I was

 

_ Niles is typing… _

 

Niles: going to invite you to a close friend’s party

 

Corrin stopped in her tracks when she read his text.    
A party? He didn’t seem like one to really… socialize with others at his own volition. Unless it was with the Nohrian crowd.    
A shiver went down Corrin’s spine. The thought of going to the Nohrian District made her skin crawl. The people were so rude, pushing and shoving in the sidewalks. The city was filled with a suffocating smog and crowded living spaces, forcing people to share complexes. The homeless population was the highest in the eastern part of the district.

However, in the chaos, there was a beauty.

 

The neon signs of old fast food joins flashed in her head. The streets were packed with taxis while the symphony of car horns honking filled the silence. Elbows brushed against hers while people bustled down the sidewalks, illuminated by yellow street lamps and bundled in warm winter coats. The hum of the city made her nerves buzz. It had been a while since she had visited the city with Leo and Silas.

Leo always knew the best places to eat that were economical while being up to par with his taste.    
The smells of the kiosks that harbored Chevois deli meats and different Nohrian stuffed potato cakes wafted through the aisles.    
  


Her stomach growled.

Her mouth watered at the idea of veggie potato cakes with the balsamic drizzle that was sold at the market in west Nohr…

 

Corrin frowned. Damn her insatiable appetites.    
Potato pancakes sounded ideal after the whole awkward ordeal with Tsubaki. But Niles was the reason why it got awkward in the first place. He threw Corrin off her guard and left her in a daze. Niles was like an itch that would never go away. No matter how much Corrin tried to scratch him out, he would dig deeper under her skin.    
  
Corrin looked back down at the phone in her hands, his text in blue and staring back up at her through the screen.    
The cursor blinked, awaiting the next words she would type out. 

 

Corrin: which friend

 

_ Send.  _

 

Corrin set her phone beside her as wracked her brain with all the possible acquaintances someone like Niles had. The only friend she knew about was a mutual friend, Leo. No one else came to mind. Not anyone Hoshidan for that matter… 

 

A small buzz by her leg snapped her to attention. The screen lit up with a notification. 

 

_ Niles is typing…  _

 

Niles: Odin. The blond guy who runs the DND club. Theatre English double major who talks Leo’s ear off. He’s throwing a “kickback”    
  


As her eyes scanned his text, she tried to stifle a snort.    
Really? Niles knew the tall nerd who ran the fantasy roleplay meetings at school? It was hard to imagine a person as dry humored and suggestive as Niles spending quality time with the self proclaimed Scion of Literature, Odin Dark.    
Maybe Niles picked up some of his normal theatrics from the ever dramatic dork. 

 

_ Corrin is typing…  _

 

Corrin: wait you’re friends with  _ him _ ??    
Corrin: seriously??

 

_ Corrin is typing…  _

 

Corrin: Doesn’t Leo hang out with him too?

 

If Leo were there, she would feel a little better about jumping in Niles’ beat up piece of junk that he called a car and driving off to gods knew where in the Nohrian District with someone like Niles.    
  
She pulled her knees closer while she waited for the next text from Niles. Her foot tapped against the carpeted floor while she hummed a familiar tune.    
_ The song. Niles’ song. _

 

Corrin shook her head when she heard a notification buzz from her cellphone.    
  
Niles: Yeah and it’s near Leo’s

Niles: what do you say

 

_ Niles is typing…  _

 

Niles: and come with me? we don’t have to stay long if you don’t want to

Niles: please?

 

A pause. Corrin gnawed her lip. The last text read into her heart. She could hear his voice whispering the single word to her like the first time he asked to take her home. His eyes were soft then. Gentle azure eyes framed by long white eyelashes blinked and she felt a lump in her throat.    
“Please Corrin?” 

His voice echoed in her head. Her heart hammered in her chest. Her urge to scream overwhelmed her.

 

Picking up her phone, she typed out her final response.

 

_ Corrin is typing…  _

 

Corrin: Fine. You owe me potato cakes after though. 

 

_ Niles is typing…  _

 

Niles: of course princess  ❤️

* * *

Sneaking out of the house was so much easier in the movies than it was in real life. Corrin bit her lip down hard. The floorboards never squeaked this much during the day, so why now?!  A single breath could echo in the dark halls and alarm anyone asleep in the house. Save for Takumi, who was probably downstairs, curled up, watching a rerun of some crime drama with a bowl of mochi snacks. He was the one to be careful for. Niles was going to be at the house any minute and he was the last person Takumi ever wanted to see especially on his Friday night. 

With her signature black purse packed with the necessities, her wallet, keys and powerbank, Corrin held her breath as she tiptoed through the darkness and down the stairs, avoiding making any noise. The middle stair made a slight squeak but once Corrin made it down to the base, the air in her lungs clawed its way out in a low exhale.    
  


The television was on. Takumi was sitting cross legged under a red blanket eating rice cakes. Hinata was going on about getting take out for later or inviting Oboro. Takumi’s back was to the front door, yet Hinata was in the kitchen in full view of Corrin’s only way out.   
It was now or never. 

 

Gliding over the wood floors clad in her knee high socks, Corrin made it to where the shoe storage was by the front door. 

In the window, she saw Niles’ beat up, piece of junk car with his emergency lights on, waiting for her to come out.

 

She slipped her booties back on her feet and attempted to open the door without a sound. The weight of the door was overbearing. The scraping of the door against the floor couldn’t be louder. Corrin grimaced. Almost there… there was a sliver of space she could squeeze out and to the porch.    
Every second she wasn’t outside, the risk of Takumi could hear her or Hinata could see her from the kitchen island increased. 

  
Just as she was about to sneak out the opening she made for herself, Hinata’s head snapped in the direction of the sound of the soft creak the door hinges made.    
Her stomach fell to her feet. Mocha eyes were caught with vermillion. Corrin braced herself for the loud greeting he always gave her to leave his mouth, but a sneaky smile tugged at his mouth.    
  


“Have fun,” he mouthed, giving her a wink. 

 

Corrin smiled back and slunk out the door, letting it close quietly behind her. She walked down the steps to the gravel path to where Niles was parked at the curb where he usually dropped her off after a shift.    
She could already hear his music playing in his car by the way he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, bopping his head to the music rhythmically. He saw out of his peripheral Corrin with her arms crossed, waiting for him to unlock the car door.   
She swung the door hard behind her, shivering from the biting cold outside.  Her fingers felt numb to the icy wind that blew through her.    
His car was warm and cozy. The heater bathed her in a comforting warmth, making her relax in the seat. Her seat warmer was already flicked on for her. Grabbing at the seat belt, Corrin buckled it as fast as she could so they could get a move on.    
Though the car was warm, she felt a chill run through her. The feeling of something missing ate away at her. 

  
“Do you need a jacket?” Niles asked, starting the car back up. 

 

_ Jacket. Fuck.  _

  
Corrin felt her face heat up in embarrassment. She was in such a hurry to get out the house undetected that she left her large fluffy jacket strewn on her bed and her light on. Her face flushed a deeper red, bubbling with irritation. How could she forget something so little yet so important? It wasn’t like she was able to go back in and get it without being noticed by Takumi…   
Her blush flushed once she heard Niles chuckle beside her. 

 

“Did you forget one?” His catlike grin stretched wide across his face. Just the sound of his voice made their hair stand on end. He didn’t have to look at her in order to get under her skin. And that was his gift, and she hated it.    
  


“I-I was in a hurry to get outside!”

 

As soon as they stopped at the first stoplight leaving the community she lived in, he fished for something in the backseat. Little thuds filled the After a few seconds of digging around, pushing over boxes and changes of clothes around, Niles pulled out a faded blue flannel. It was a bit worn, threads frayed and small holes in the cuffs of the sleeves, but it was large enough for Corrin to wrap herself in to keep warm.     
  


Niles nonchalantly dropped the jacket in her lap and continued driving. Corrin looked down and held the piece of clothing in her hands. It felt heavy, like one of Ryouma’s old letterman jackets he had when he was younger. The faint smell of cigarettes and something earthy, like pine needles, tickled her nose. It wasn’t unpleasant, but more foreign and unknown to her.    
She mumbled out a ‘thank you’ before pulling the flannel on, curling up in her seat. Her eyes wandered out to the dark streets, the yellow street lights illuminating the features of different buildings and businesses. Neons were turned on for the late night crowd  looking for a place to blow off some steam. The scarce people walking out in the frigid cold were bundled up in parkas and hats to fend off the icy winds. 

 

Corrin pulled the flannel around her tighter at the thought of the wind blowing through her.    
She would probably freeze if it weren’t for the warm flannel wrapped around her shoulders. 

 

Getting to the Nohrian District wasn’t a far drive from the Hoshidan Prefecture. However the traffic made the drive seem eons away. Cars honked. Taxi drivers yelled obscenities at other cars for cutting them off. The bright colors of the neons flashed their advertisements of drinks, girls, and food.    
The towers scrapped the skies in all their majesty, standing proud amongst the shacks beneath them. The windows reflected the colors, making the glass a canvas of reds, blues and greens.    
The music in the car sounded so far away to her. It was a soft buzz humming in her ears, tickling her ear drums.    
And there was Niles, calmly navigating through the chaos with a sort of focus Corrin never thought he was capable of. 

 

“So where is this party at?” she asked, breaking the fragile silence between them.   
  
“Leo’s apartment.”   
  
Corrin was taken aback.  “And is he okay with Odin throwing a party at his apartment?”

 

Niles shrugged as he made the left turn at the light. “Well he won’t be pleased, that much I do know.” The color drained from Corrin’s face as a look of absolute shock was painted on her face. He could feel her gaze gloss over him and he chuckled. “Don’t worry princess, Leo is a big boy, he’ll be fine.”

  
  


Corrin wasn’t so sure she could trust him with that.

* * *

 

Parking was hell to find. It had been already twenty minutes since they got the Leo’s apartment complex and lots of the parking on the curb had already been taken.    
The closest place was a street or two down from where the apartment was, and the cold got to Corrin, fast. The warm flannel remained on her when they left the car, teeth chattering.

 

The walk to the complex wasn’t long. But upon reaching the place, people had poured in from different parts of the district or the school. Red and blue cups were being passed around amongst others and there was one couple hidden away in a closet making out, or worse.    
The amount of people made Corrin feel sick. Why did she agree to this? She had just gone a miserable date with someone and the way she had decided to forget about it was to go to some dumb party a nerd was having and for what? Potato cakes. Now seeing how Nohrians party, she wasn’t sure those cakes were even worth it anymore. 

 

A heavy hand set itself on her shoulder. A jolt struck through her. She looked up and saw Niles with gentle eyes, reassuring her she was going to be okay. He gave her a small smile.    
“Stay close.” 

 

She held onto his arm, avoiding any eye contact with anyone nearby. The chatter of people buzzed in her ears. The music was a dull hum. She was unable to really make out any real lyrics or words. Before long, Niles had found a comfortable place for them to relax on the couch. He offered to grab them both some drinks before leaving Corrin to soak up the atmosphere around her.    
It was warm in the living room. The air smelled of beer and sweat and something that smelled like fresh linen. College students lounged about against the grey walls with cups filled with some sort of alcoholic beverage of some kind. There was the occasional wallflower just sipping from their cup, absorbing the energy of the atmosphere. Corrin could pick up bits and pieces of others’ conversations, and stick with her until she found another interesting quip.

 

A redheaded girl was yelling at a frightened young man. She delivered a swift slug to his arm, but not hard enough to bruise. His grimace spoke volumes of fear. Her finger was pointing harshly at him while her chastising words hit him like a harsh smack to the face.    
“You're a big dumb baby! A  **GROSS** ,  **BIG, DUMB, BABY** !”   
Her shrill voice was sharp enough to slice glass. The young man held up his hands in surrender, hoping there would be a ceasefire from those deadly words of hers. 

 

Leo’s nerd friend, Odin, was going off on a tangent about how he was filled with a dark energy, about how the darkness consumed his very being. But his speech was cut short when Elise interrupted with her questions of what sorts of malicious phantoms he spoke of.    
His face fell when she confronted him. Explaining his pretending to be in pain was far more difficult than he anticipated. 

 

“ Ah, that makes more sense! Good to know. So wait—were you also pretending to talk to someone?” Elise’s large lavender eyes sparkled with wonder. 

  
Odin, however, let out an exasperated sigh. “No, I was pretending to feel the presence of the darkness in the other room. Happy now?!”

Corrin tried to stifle her snorting laughter behind her hand. Odin’s exaggerated hand gestures and outlandish words being completely diffused by Elise every time she managed to overhear him speak of a “dark presence” in the adjacent room. His room.    
“Hellhounds? Extreme darkness? Are you hiding something or are we speaking in the special way again?” 

 

Niles sat plopped down beside Corrin on the couch silently. He cracked open his beer and handed Corrin her ice cold, hard pink lemonade. Snapping the tab open made a loud crack, echoing in the room, but was drowned out by commotion of others around them.    
She took a sip and watched Odin, for the upteenth time, let out a loud sigh and tried to explain to Elise what he was talking about. 

 

She strained to listen what he was whispering in her ear. But the loud gasp and the look on the blonde girl’s face spoke volumes of joy.    
“Quick, my lady! Allow me to show you how I tame these hounds of darkness!”

 

“Okay!!”

 

Without another word, Odin took her by the hand and skillfully snuck by the crowd, rubbing elbows of drunk girls and rowdy idiots. The corners of Niles’ mouth twitched. A grin tugged.    
  


Oh no.

 

“I wonder…” Niles hummed. Corrin didn't like the sound of that at all. 

He took a gulp of the amber beverage. The smile. The flash of those teeth.Her heart tightened.    
  


Corrin grit her teeth. “Niles, we are not--”

 

“We’re following them.”

 

Rising from the couch, and with Corrin in tow, Niles snuck a couple of beers and hard lemonade out the door to tail Odin and Elise.    
Corrin groaned in protest as she was tugged off the comfy couch. The warmth of Leo’s apartment was gone. Cool air bit at them both once again, wind as sharp as knives cutting through them. Corrin violently shivered.    
This had better be good, Corrin thought, regretting her every decision that lead to this moment. 

 

Elise and Odin didn't get too far since he lived a couple of doors down. He looked around, scoping out the premises to check if anyone of suspicion had been following them. Meeting eyes with Niles brought a giant grin on his face. Elise looked up to see Niles approaching with a freezing Corrin in tow, frowning.  

 

“Are you all ready to have your entire world as you know it blown away?” Odin whispered, loud enough for all of them to hear him. Elise nodded vigorously, the excitement radiating from her. Niles made a noise of confirmation while Corrin’s eyebrows were knit in irritation. 

  
Unlocking his front door, Odin wordlessly invited the three in his home. It was simple. The dishes were piling in the sink and cans of food littered the countertops. The floor heater was off but the warmth of the apartment enveloped Corrin like a familiar embrace. Odin must have been burning incense earlier since the smoky smell had stuck to the walls and lingered in the air. The strong scent of camphor oil hit Corrin in the face. 

 

She sneezed.     
  


But the sight Odin had invited them in for caught her eye. The cold outside was forgotten and her previous irritation was thrown out the window. On a little red plush bed lay a long haired auburn dachshund nursing her litter of five puppies. She lie quiet, making herself comfortable while her puppies fed. A warmth grew in her heart  Her ears perked up at the sight of her owner approaching with strangers. Odin said something to her that Corrin couldn’t quite understand, and slowly came up to her and rubbed her ears.    
  


‘This is is the mother of all hellhounds, Emer, and her darkspawn. I have bestowed upon them these names,” he said. Odin took a breath before listing off the names of the tiny weenie dogs sleeping beside their mother. 

Elise gushed about how small Deidre was and held Adrastos in her arms. The runt, Cronus, stayed by his mother, huddled at her side. 

 

Corrin sat on the black pleather couch with her hard lemonade with Balder, the largest of the pups. He whined and nuzzled her hand in search for warmth, curling up on her lap. He was heavy for a puppy. Odin had said that Emer gave the puppies life only a few weeks ago. Six, he said.    
But this one was the biggest of them all. His red ears hung low and brushed her thigh. Running her fingers over his red and white hair, Corrin relished in just how soft he was. She took a sip of her beverage and set it on the coffee table and took the pup into her arms. 

 

“Be careful, princess. You might take too much of a liking to uh…”   
  


“Balder.”

 

“Balder. Right,” Niles said, settling himself right next to her. He leaned in to get close to the puppy. And when he sneezed, the man pulled away violently, sneezing himself.    
A loud snort left Corrin, making Balder yip in surprise. 

 

“You’re so dumb.”

 

The night went on, petting the litter of puppies and sipping on their own drinks. Elise had Chandra, one of the puppies that was a deep mocha with little sandy brown markings on her. She had taken a nap in Elise’s lap while she pet her and talked to Odin more about what the fate that belie the pups.    
Corrin was warmer than she was before. Her nerves tingled. Her reactions were slowed down and blurry. Just how much did she have to drink. On the table sat two empty cans of the lemonade, hollow and void of every last drop of the liquid. The heat rose in her cheeks, making the red blossom in them like poppies in the spring.  Her eyes shifted over to look at Niles. 

 

For once, he was quiet. He was drinking in the moment. The serenity between the four of them in the moment, on this cold night in October with a beer in his hand, with all the dogs and the camphor oil in the air, it was a moment that was quiet. Peaceful.    
His smile was gentle. A rare sort of genuine smile for him that brought an ease for her. She sank deep into the couch with Balder fast asleep on her chest.    
  


Niles looked over at Corrin. She looked like she was in a daze. She had the same look she had the night before when they sat in his car, silently enjoying Tears for Fears radio on his spotify, being lulled to sleep by the alcohol. 

 

“Corrin?” he started, “You getting sleepy?”   
  


She let out a whine. “No… I want more lemonade.” She attempted to make a grab for the last can on the table before he moved it away from her.    
“Hey… I was gonna drink that…” Corrin whined again. Her cheeks puffed up in a pout, like a child being told no. 

 

Niles shook his head. “Corrin, you’ve had too much already.”

 

Her pout intensified. “No, you have.” She tried to make another grab for it, but everything was in slow motion. The movement of her hand felt like it was fighting against a current. She was swimming and the air was molasses. Niles was lightning quick in his reflexes, too quick for her slow and drunk motor skills. “Come on, Niles please?”

 

She held up Balder, making his little paw wave at the young man sitting next to her. “Even he says please. Pretty please?” Long eyelashes bat at him.    
Niles felt a pang in his chest. Those big pomegranate eyes made him feel fuzzy and warm in his chest. His ribs ached from his heart beating against the cage it was confined in. The rational part of him screamed at him to keep the alcohol away from her. It didn’t matter how cute she was. It didn’t matter how much she begged and pleaded, even if she said please, there was no way he should give her more.

But the part of him that told him to give her a last drink of the night egged him on. One drink wouldn’t hurt, right?    
  
Cracking the tab open, he took a large sip of the pink beverage. He smacked his lips and grinned at Corrin.    
“Alright. We share it then.”

 

She made a face. Looking down at the can before her and Niles’ grin made her frown. She held Balder to her chest again and snatched the can away from him and took a large gulp.    
“Fine.”

 

The drink wasn’t even half gone before Corrin moved closer to Niles, shoulders touching, head leaning on his shoulder.    
Things around her were fuzzy, even the sleepy dachshund in her arms didn’t seem real to her. Corrin was too drunk. 

 

“Hey Niles?” she asked.

 

He hummed in acknowledgement.    
  
“What do you think he’s thinking about?”

 

He took the puppy from her and held him in his large tan hands. The puppy looked so forlorn from being disturbed from his sleep.    
  


“Probably about food. Or why was he named Balder of all names,” he replied, making her snort beside him. 

 

“It's a name of a god or whatever.”

 

He hummed and let the dachshund sleep on his chest, the dog sniffing him and sneezing. 

 

Corrin scoot close to him until she was pressed against his arm. She could smell the faint odor of cigarettes lingering on the hoodie and the pine scent that stuck to the flannel she wore.  He was warm. And before she knew it, the alcohol had lulled her to sleep. Her eyes were heavy like lead weights. Her body was being dragged down under the vicious waves of tiredness.

The last thing she could hear was Niles’ voice, gently carrying her to her slumber. His arms were warm...so warm she could melt in them…

 

Darkness pulled itself over her like a sheet, shrouding light and the consciousness she once had.

* * *

The sound of a roaring horn of a train jolted Corrin from her sleep. Her head throbbed with a vengeance. She groaned. No more drinking hard lemonades…

 

As she rubbed her sleepy eyes, a wash of panic overwhelmed her.

 

No.

 

No this wasn't her room.  _ What the hell where am I? _

 

The blinds were behind the bed, bringing in the light from the outside in slits. The bed was larger than the one she had at home. It had several grey and blue blankets hanging off the foot of the bed due to her moving and kicking around in her sleep. A black ashtray sat on the bedside table. A couple of cigarette butts were snuffed out. Corrin wrinkled her nose in disgust.    
As she sat up in the bed, she looked down and felt her blood run cold. 

 

_ These aren’t my clothes…. _

It was a large, baggy black t-shirt with some obscure band she’s never heard of plastered on the front. The fabric was a bit coarse against her skin. In the corner of her eye, she saw her bra on the floor. While in her panic, she kicked off the blankets and looked down at her leggings still on her. A sigh of relief left her lips. Her heart’s beat finally began to calm down and she got herself out of bed. Her eyes were sore and the ache in her muscles began to set in for her. Her shoes were tossed carelessly in the corner of the room and opened the door out of the bedroom. And the sight before her made her want to scream.    
  
There he was, asleep on, apparently, his deteriorating black couch with only gym shorts and a tank top with a blankets so flimsily tossed on him. A white and grey cat sat in the window above him. 

A blush rose in her cheeks. 

 

How drunk did she get and why the hell was she in Niles’ apartment?


End file.
